closer today. marriage licenses in maryland are available starting now. and it's happened to a lot of you. you get a speeding ticket in the mail and you wondered was i really going that fast? the city is now investigating false citations. it's christmas time in the city. tonight baltimore keeps the holiday tradition alive. we're going to tell you what you need to know if you plan to join the crowds for the lighting of the washington monument in mount vernon. those stories straight ahead. thanks so much for joining us on this thursday morning. i'm megan pringle. >> and i'm charlie crowson. weather-wise, it's got to be great for that lighting ceremony. beginning to feel a lot like holidays. after a bit of a reprieve earlier this week. >> yes it's always chilly every year when they have that lighting. you see the people bundled up. >> that's a great thing. >> it is a great thing. >> it's supposed to be. >> exactly. that's what we have for the morning as well guys. bundle up out and about. look at the 20s from ellicott city 29 degrees. the winds out of the northwest at about 5 miles an hour. this will persist throughout the day. we won't be as windy as we were

yesterday. that's some good news especially on that northwesterly breeze. we would really be feeling that windchill today. but that's not going to be the case. maryland's most powerful radar is dry right now. yes we have some cold temperatures but we will get lots of sunshine in here. the only caveat with that is that that sunshine really in the going to warm the temperatures -- not going to warm the temperatures up even as we go into the afternoon. here's how you plan accordingly. at 8:00 the temperature at 33 degrees and still very cold. brisk by lunchtime. yesterday the day before that, the day before that, you were able to eat the lunch outdoors. not so much today. let's get a check now of the abc2 timesaver traffic with lauren cook. good morning. good morning lynette. i'm missing that warm weather. well, we have some trouble in glen burnie right now. there are malfunctioning traffic lights on crane highway. at the intersections of mayo road and hospital drive. so it's extremely important to treat these areas as a four way stop. if you are traveling on 97, here's a live look right now at ben field boulevard. and you'll notice everything going to be up to speed traffic though is starting to pick up in the area but no significant

delays as you make the drive down to route 50. or head up to 95. and here's a -- 695. and here's a live look at the west side of the beltway here at liberty road nine minutes to travel the outer loop from 795 down to 70. inner loop will be clear through pikesville. and check in and take a look at the drive times, no problems to report on the beltway. the east side nice and clear. and 95 the northeast corridor going to be in great shape. just 15 minutes in white marsh to travel southbound from the beltway all the way into the city. that's a look at your traffic. megan and charlie, over to you. two minutes after 6:00 right now. and if you're just waking up with us, we are tracking breaking news from baltimore county this morning. a man is dead after a two alarm fire broke out in his home and this happened on sweet air road in baldwin just after midnight. we just received new video no share with you. there were no -- no share with you. there were -- to share with you. there were no fire hydrants in the home and the water had to be shuttled in.

two firefighters suffered minor injuries and again we have a crew on the scene. as soon as we get the video we will bring it to you and make it available. we do want you to be the first to know about breaking news and remember you can just download abc2's free app by texting wmar to 46988. today is the day that same sex couples have been waiting for. they can get their mine licenses today. >> just a month later now official. and abc2 news' sherrie johnson is telling us not everyone is going to be there handing out the licenses and what's allowing some clerks to make the decision versus others? >> reporter: well, that's right. even though you know same sex couples can line up to get their marriage license today. the law actually doesn't go into effect until january 1st and governor o'malley is expected to ratify the election results and then allow clerks to pass out the certificates today. but you know the clerk of courts can choose not to issue licenses until january 2nd when the law officially goes into

effect. one of the compromises proponents of same sex marriage struck to get enough votes in the house of delegates was a provision that prevented the new law from taking effect before midnight, december 31st. attorney general doug gansler says that clerks may issue licenses as soon as the governor approves same sex marriage approved by voters. they cannot be effective before midnight on january 1st. they will still be considered as single for state income tax purposes. so once again, a lot of folks are expected to be lining up at the courthouse here today for the same sex marriage licenses. reporting live in downtown baltimore, sherrie johnson, abc2 news. "gq" magazine named ravens' linebacker brendan abuoyant day joe the gay of the year. he was criticized for doing so. the vikings' punter chris kluwe was also awarded for the honor.

he's been very outspoken about his support for equal rights for same sex couples. breaking news, kate middleton is out of the hospital. the pregnant duchess was released this morning after being treated for severe morning sickness. we got this video in just a few moments ago and now megan you have to remember the duchess' pregnancy is still very much in the early stages. >> not yet past the first trimester and the palace is not ready to announce a due date for the baby. it will be next in line to the british throne after prince william and prince charles the grandfather. news time right now five minutes after 6:00. a man accused of shooting a security guard in washington, d.c. is due back in court today. lawyers will be discussing a plea deal in this case. the 28-year-old originally pled not guilty to the charges against him. the shooting happened last august. the guard survived. and today, a brig commander will testify at the hearing of army private -- the army private that was accused of leaking private documents to

wikileaks. bradley manning's lawyers are trying to get the case thrown out. they claim he has been mistreated at the base in virginia. in court yesterday they said that manning was improperly kept on suicide watch for at least seven days. we'll keep you posted on the trial. and later this morning we're expecting a major announcement about an effort to boost neighborhoods surrounding johns hopkins university's homewood campus. the president of the college along with mayor rawlings blake will be on hand to talk about recommendations to improve the area in north baltimore. we have the details on abc2 news at 5:00. and important news in you received a speeding ticket in baltimore but you think you weren't going that fast. you may be right it turns out. the city is investigating false speed camera tickets and baltimore city council president jack young says they're going to figure out exactly what went wrong. >> we're going to make sure that we're having the hearing. that we going to get to the bottom of it and hopefully those deficiencies that are in place will be corrected.

right now, you know, the camera is having some kind of glitch. that we're told. but what kind of glitch, i really don't know. >> young says anyone hit with an improper ticket will be reimbursed and people should have been notified about the false tickets they may have received. a big event is happening tonight in washington, d.c.. the national christmas tree lighting ceremony is taking place outside of the white house. the first family they're all going to be there. they're going to flick the switch. it's going to happen and illuminate the 30-foot tree. and neil patrick harris will kick off the ceremony. it's happening at 4:30. a lot of musical guests this year including the fray, jason mraz and james taylor. you don't have to travel to d.c. to get in the holiday spirit. festivities happening here in the community. all you have to do is head to mount vernon for the annual monument lighting. this year ravens' corner back lardarius webb gets the honor of flipping the switch.

there's going to be performances and plenty of things to eat. the festivities start at 5:30 and the lights don't come on until 7:45. >> looking forward to that. all right no custody battle is easy no doubt about it. they are usually heard in family courts. >> family court but this one involves international borders. and it gets a lot more complicated when that's in play. the u.s. supreme court is now hearing a case and we'll look at what it could mean. >> nausea, ram heart rate, even slipping into a coma. these are all things doctors have seen in kids swallowing something that's common place in most of your households. >> we're all shopping this time of year. so why not shop local and see where the proceeds go to a great cause? happening thanks to three business owners in ruxton. >> well, we are going to be dry and cold for today. but we do have some wet weather back off towards the west. i'll tell you when that moves in and also the mild air returns coming up. >> well, lynette traffic is moving right along here on 695 in baltimore national pike. i'll let you know what it looks like out on 95 and 83 coming up on "good morning maryland."

>> eight minutes after 6:00 right now. a live picture of new york city's times square. let's head up there right now for a look at today's techbytes. >> in today's techbytes record- breaking sales for call of duty bluecaps 2. the -- black ops 2. it racked up $1 billion in sales worldwide in just 15 days. making it to the billion dollar mark faster than its predecessor. and apple released ultra thin version of the imac computer. it measures just one fifth of an inch thick. "usa today's" ed baig reports. >> it's expensive but it has a beautiful screen. gorgeous thin designs. some real computing power in it but some people are going to miss the integrated dvd drive. >> it starts at $1,800. and your smart phone may soon be able to send how you're feeling and respond appropriately. it's all done with a new program that was correct in identifying the emotion 80% of the time.

not bad. those are your techbytes, have a great day. i'm rob nelson.

12 minutes after 6:00. thank you for joining us this morning. a story this morning of three wise women who have followed their stars to run a small business. >> they share their story and their wisdom from 21204 and here's abc2 news jamie costello. >> reporter: ruxton station where the shops have had -- >> there are ups and downs. >> reporter: welcome to linens and lingerie. >> i think we're a little bit of a unique niche. >> reporter: one strictly linens and now they have entered into bay bay land. >> a lot of grandmothers out there like to buy beautiful things for the kids. >> reporter: she has been in

business for 29 years. >> you just have to change and update yourself and bring in different merchandise. >> tools of the trade. >> reporter: while small businesses cutting rutland beard florist is blooming. >> tough. very tough. >> reporter: allison is honest. she knows she's up against out of town internet times but you know what? you walk in here and they know how your wedding was and how your prom was and they know how the party went. >> that makes a huge difference to people. >> reporter: over at the boutique they have caught what every small business goes through a time or two. >> it's very inconsistent i guess. you know, it's -- a lot of people all day long. and then another day there might be kind of quiet and you get a lot of stuff done. >> reporter: you know how to stay in business and survive? you build relationships with those who walk in the door to buy a blouse. >> they are coming in and you can ask how their vacation was. how was the party they were shopping for. >> reporter: follow the small business star set by these

three wise ladies. >> we are good. >> be honest. >> the way think things are -- things are changing we have to explore social media and try things we have never done before. >> celebrate with a big shopping event running from 5:00 until 8:00. now a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the family tree preventing child abuse. all right, great to support local businesses and if you thaw video you see that those stores are outside. so for folks who are headed out that way bundle up. >> exactly. those are the two words of the day. this morning and even as we go into the afternoon. so temperatures this morning in the 20s guys. 30s. we'll only be in the 40s by this afternoon. exactly. that's below average. why? we have high pressure that's going to be building in across the area for today. you can see where it is and you can see that flow around high pressure. you have clockwise flow and you gate northwesterly flow in -- you get that northwesterly flow in here and that's a cold one. the southwesterly flow warms you up. not so much with the knot westerly. that's the one that's going to really put a chill on things

for this morning. for this afternoon. and with that said, well, this is what you can expect as you head out the door in westminster this morning. 27 degrees. myersville at 24 degrees. norrisville coming in at 27 and also at 33 degrees in annapolis. baltimore 31. these temperatures below average this morning. and also below the freezing degree mark. we're at 31 in goldsboro. and 31 in milltown. tillman coming in at 35. you need the big coat and you need to dress in layers for today. future trend not picking up on a whole lot this morning but the clouds will begin to increase as we go into this evening. and we do have a chance for some showers to work their way in here tomorrow afternoon into the evening. so that commute home could be a little bit on the dicey side. but this is what we can expect as we go into lunchtime for today. and our high temperature will only be at 44 degrees. be prepared for that. we should be at about 49 degrees now for our high temperatures. so you can see that we're below that. but just wait for the milder temperatures to come in here as

we go into saturday, sunday and monday. they will arrive once again. let's get a check now of the abc2 timesaver traffic with lauren cook. good morning. good morning lynette. it's going to be pretty cold for the washington monument lighting tonight. they will shut down many roads in mount veer monobeginning at 9:00 a.m. mount veer monoplace westbound lanes are going to close from charles cathedral then later in the day north charles street going to be affected as well as the eastbound lanes of mount vernon place. just go to abc2news.com for a complete list of the closures. a live look right now at 83 just north of 695. traffic moving right along. no problems heading downtown this morning. here's what 695 looks like at harford road. no delays right now on the east side. but traffic is starting to pick up in the area. and as we check in and take a look at the drive times you'll notice the west side of the beltway free of delays right now it's going to take you nine minutes to travel the outer loop from 795 down to 70. and everything will be up to speed through the fort mchenry tunnel. just eight minutes to travel northbound from the beltway all the way to the toll plaza.

that's a look at your abc2 timesaver traffic. megan and charlie, over to you. she was married to the man convicted of causing a wave of terror in the d.c. area. >> coming up today mildred mohammed sits down with katie couric to talk about her years with one of the shooters. >> how were you able to stay with him for so long? >> because when you are married you want your relationship to work out. there were many good times that we had. and when you tried to make things work, you kind of overlook those things that most people would think that you should leave for. but when it's about trying to keep your family together, most times victims of domestic violence want to keep the family together. until it reaches a pivotal point where you have to leave. >> be when did that point come? when did you say i can't do this anymore? >> i asked him for a divorce when i found out that he was having multiple affairs.

but then that is when the abuse really started. because he started coming in in the middle of the night. he still had a key and he would stand over me. peer over. stand up and walk out the room. it came to a point where he said you know? you are not going to raise my children by yourself. you have become my enemy. and as my enemy i will kill you. >> you can catch more of the interview right here on abc2 at 4:00 and then stay tuned for abc2 news at 5:00. this morning's health alert. something many moms worry about. having a child with a birth defect. the latest research finds a newer test called microarray analysis may provide more detailed results. >> so abnormalities that are smaller in size in terms of the amount of genetic material that's involved can be picked up with the microray you may not see with the standard

chromosome analysis. >> for now there is room for both tests but he can see a day where the microarray that may become the gold standard of testing. well, eye drops, nasal sprays are common remedies especially in the wintertime. >> a warning for parents this morning. the products can be attractive to curious kids. >> yeah they may look harmless but just the opposite. kids could experience fast heart rate and become nauseous and very sleepy. in some instances even fall into a coma. experts say it's important to remember to put this type of medicine up and out of reach. >> if your child attends a family day care or goes to grandma's house during the day, grandma needs to put the medicines away and out of reach. and if anybody comes into your house to provide child care, and they might have some of these drops or sprays in their backpack or their pocketbook, they node to go up and -- need to go up and out of reach.

>> if it happens you should call your local poison control center immediately. all right, admit it. you've probably done it before. eating and driving. so many of you have. well, a city in south dakota has banned the practice and violators will pay if they're caught. also people caught texting behind the wheel will be fined $100. if the law is too extreme, or do you think that it's going to cut down on accidents? we would love to know what you think. weigh in on the facebook fan page. let us know. too extreme or a good idea? okay the eating thing might have some wiggle room there megan but also they are also considering reading behind the wheel. >> putting on makeup. >> those fall under the duh quotient. that's just commo sense. all right, we have all heard it. if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. but this might be the exception. >> a fully furnished dream home is now up for grabs. how you can put your name on this listing and get the

stunning home. >> and a new perfume is going to be available and there's a good chance it will drive your man wild. we're going to tell you how you could smell like something he could love. here's a hint. it comes with sausage, pepperoni and maybe even onions. >> the stuffed crust. a live picture from catalina island in california. you can see the christmas try high atop the screen. a cat named slice has just made himself at home inside the tree. i'm immediately going to national lampoon's christmas vacation with that. >> the squirrel popping out. that photo is courtesy of nancy hoffman. thanks for sending it in. share them with us. send it to pix@wmar.com and put holiday lights in the subject line and we'll post them on the website and maybe here on the air too.

well, how would you like to smell like a freshly baked pizza? >> you can. there's a whole new perfume hitting the market. pizza hut is launching its own

fragrance. the idea came from a facebook post. and now the perfume will only be available in canada. so -- >> being spared right now. lauren cook joins us now with a check of today's caption this. >> very very cute picture today. it's of little mason. he just celebrated his 1 year birthday. and you can see he's really enjoying his cake. it's all over the place. he's adorable. well we posted this picture on facebook and it's generated a lot of comments, sue wrote in saying i don't need a fork mom. see? donny where's the milk? one says there's no wrong way to eat cake. i agree with you. and chuck saying cool, i can have my cake and eat it too. so we hope mason had a very happy birthday. and i do need some caption this pictures for next week. e-mail yours to pix@wmar.com. news time 6:25. this dream home could be yours for free. you just have to be the lucky

winner. hgtv is giving away this dust only home built in -- custom home built in south carolina as part of the annual dream home giveaway. there are beautiful views from every window and every aspect of the home is completely energy efficient. >> walk into the dining area and the kitchen you see this beautiful green. and that really echoes the marsh grasses. picking up bits and pieces of rough wood that we've used. the rugs in the dining and the living room. it's all the colors that are happening outside. all the textures, all the natural elements that are there. and so there's a connection. >> the natural accents. >> looks beautiful. >> moves corner to corner. 3,000 square feet and three bedrooms and is lot of space. sign up at hgtv.com beginning on december 28th. this would make anybody nervous. >> a fighter jet that's too close to the ground for comfort. why the f-16 was riding so low. ♪

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civil rights, upholding the constitution, the supreme court makes decisions that impacts us every day. why are they hearing a custody case coming up today? how this could have happened? a cop's gun is fire